Back in November, Iraqi residents in the town of Haditha claimed the U.S. Marines went on a civilian killing spree, leaving 15 dead, 10 of them women and children. A Marine spokesman initially denied the charge, saying that they had been killed by an IED and that in a following gun battle, eight insurgents were killed.
At a news conference today originally called to mark the six-month anniversary of his call for withdrawal from Iraq, John Murtha confirmed that the Iraqi civilian reports were indeed true and that the Marines "killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
NBC News contacted and interviewed officials today who confirmed the story:
Murtha, a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, said at a news conference Wednesday that sources within the military have told him that an internal investigation will show that "there was no firefight, there was no IED (improvised explosive device) that killed these innocent people. Our troops overreacted because of the pressure on them, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood."
Military officials say Marine Corp photos taken immediately after the incident show many of the victims were shot at close range, in the head and chest, execution-style. One photo shows a mother and young child bent over on the floor as if in prayer, shot dead, said the officials, who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity because the investigation hasn't been completed.
One military official says it appears the civilians were deliberately killed by the Marines, who were outraged at the death of their fellow Marine.
"This one is ugly," one official told NBC News.
The Marine Corps, citing an ongoing investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, refused to provide an official comment.
Time magazine had reported in March that an Iraqi civil rights group claimed "that the Marines barged into houses near the bomb strike, throwing grenades and shooting civilians as they cowered in fear," according to the Marine Times, which also reported:
"It's much worse than was reported in Time magazine," Murtha, a Democrat, former Marine colonel and Vietnam war veteran, told reporters on Capitol Hill.
"There was no firefight. There was no [bomb] that killed those innocent people," Murtha explained, adding there were "about twice as many" Iraqis killed than Time had reported.
Murtha, an outspoken advocate for bringing troops home, said he believed the alleged rampage was due to combat stress, the Marine Times reports.
RenaRF has more background on the investigation here.
Update: Crooks and Liars has video up of Murtha discussing the issue on Hardball.